Literary Slumming

I admit to being a bit of a literary snob. I was an English major, I can't help it. If I read a romance there needs to be some meat to it, like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series, or Deborah Harkness's All Soul's Trilogy. So you wouldn't be surprised that I said I would not read The Fifty Shades books. I was duped into reading Twilight and still haven't forgiven myself. (To be fair I read half of it under serious sedation)

However after a rather painful discussion, I ended up with the first book Fifty Shades of Grey. sigh I groaned and rolled my eyes through the first few chapters. The heroine is ridiculous and completely unbelievable. But about halfway, you get to know Mr. Grey. And minus the tremendous wealth, I've dated a few versions of him.... So I kept with it. By the end I still hated the heroine, maybe even more than before, but I had to know what happened to Mr. Grey. It was a cliffhanger.

And now that I've finished the second book, I am ashamed of myself. How did these make the NYT bestseller list? If it's the Mommy-Porn angle I need to pop that bubble. It's not that spicy. In fact the second one is a real disappointment in that department. And it's swiftly coming around to full on fairy tale nonsense. Ugh! I know I only have myself to blame. And of course I'll have to read the last one, because I'm like that. But really? This is what the American public can't get enough of? It's like reading bad wine. Cloyingly sweet and not quite alcoholic enough...... but you keep drinking it hoping for at least a buzz, as the flavor gets worse. Then you're looking for another bottle because it leaves you thirsty, no because you particularly like it.

So moral of this post..... if the salacious reputation is keeping you from the Fifty Shades trilogy, go buy it. But don't' say I didn't warn you when you get a tooth ache and feel empty at the end. Pardon me as I return to a really good book..... American Dervish.